Four of the six berths for the 2017 Big West Men's Soccer Tournament are accounted for, with the remaining two ripe for the taking entering the final week of the regular season.

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HEADERS

North Division Tournament Field Set
With one week remaining in the men’s soccer regular season, UC Davis, UC Santa Barbara and Sacramento State have clinched berths to the Big West Tournament.

The top three seeds in each division qualify for the tournament, which begins on Wednesday, Nov. 1. The North and South Division champion and subsequent No. 1 seeds receive a bye to the semifinals. The No. 2 seed in each division hosts the No. 3 seed from the opposite division in first round action on Nov. 1.

The Aggies, Gauchos and Hornets all have a shot at the No. 1 seed. UC Davis is in first place with 16 points (5-2-1), with games at Cal Poly and at home against Sacramento State this week. UCSB sits in second with 14 points (4-2-2). The Gauchos host the Hornets and travel to Cal Poly. The Hornets are third with 13 points (4-3-1). They have never won the North Division.

CSUN Punches Tourney Ticket
CSUN is the lone team from the South Division guaranteed of a spot in the Big West Tournament. The division leader at 14 points (4-2-2), the Matadors hold a three-point lead over second place Cal State Fullerton with two games to go. CSUN and CSF face off on Wednesday in a crucial matchup. With a win, the Matadors clinch the South Division regular season title, which would be their third crown in the last six years.

Working Overtime
The Matadors are unbeaten (2-0-3) in their last five meetings against the Titans. But the games historically have been closely contested. Consider the last 13 matchups have ended either in a draw or decided by one goal. In addition, the last four games have gone to overtime, three ending in a draw. That includes the last meeting on Oct. 11 in Fullerton in which the two teams played 110 minutes and finished with no score.

Lots On The Line
Cal State Fullerton clinches a berth in the Big West Tournament with a win at CSUN on Wednesday.

Another Big Matchup In The South
UC Irvine is reeling, surrendering 10 goals over the last three games which all have resulted in losses by scores of 3-2, 3-1 and 4-1. However, the Anteaters have an opportunity to ensure themselves a spot in the Big West Tournament field with a win at UC Riverside on Wednesday. The ‘Eaters are clinging to a one-point lead on the Highlanders but a win would give them a four-point advantage and eliminate UCR from tourney contention.

Aggie Army Overtakes Harder
UC Davis had a record-setting night in a 5-0 win at UC Santa Barbara last Wednesday. It was the largest margin of victory in a Big West match in program history and represented the most goals ever scored by the Aggies in a league contest, besting the four scored in a 4-2 win over Cal Poly on Oct. 30, 2010. UCSB entered the match with a record of 34-11-12 in regular season games against Big West opponents since 2012. UC Davis has been responsible for six of the 12 Gaucho losses over that span. In addition, the Aggies outscored UCSB 8-0 in their two meetings and have won three straight in the series for the first time.

THROW INS

• Through 32 games of Big West play, the home team owns a record of 15-11-6. The home team sputtered for the first time last week, posting a record of 2-5-1.

• The top freshmen goal scorers in the Big West are UC Santa Barbara’s Rodney Michael and CSUN’s Daniel Trejo with seven apiece.

• With a league-best 38 assists, UC Irvine is six away from joining the Big West single-season top 10.

• The Big West has won eight non-conference games against 2016 NCAA Tournament teams this year. Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara defeated Portland, while CSUN and UC Irvine knocked off Denver. The Mustangs also have a win over San Diego State. The Gauchos toppled Pacific. Cal State Fullerton upended Vermont and UNLV.

• The Big West has defeated four nationally ranked teams this season. CSUN and UC Irvine downed then-No. 9 Denver on the same weekend. UC Santa Barbara earned a win over then-No. 14 Pacific. CSUN also owns a victory over then No. 18 Utah Valley.

• The North Division finished with an 8-5-3 record against the South Division after two weeks of interdivisional play. The North is now 50-34-12 all-time versus the South since divisional play began in 2012.